Month: February 2009

Sometime this June, Black Creek Pioneer Village will open up a brewery called the Black Creek Historic Brewery. This has been a dream of mine for some time and I can’t tell you how much we are looking forward to that day.

Our brewery will be run in partnership with Pioneer Brewery Ltd., a company created by the owners of Trafalgar Ales and Meads. As I write, it is being built in the wine cellar area of the Half Way House restaurant: half the space will be for the actual brewery under a manufacturing license, and the other half will be a pub under a sale license.

Besides sampling a variety of ales from the brewery, visitors will be able to relax with a cold pint right there in the pub, or take home a growler of beer so they can share the experience with their friends. Right next door, the restaurant will offer a new menu with suggested beer pairings including beers brewed on the premises as well as a selection of other Ontario craft beers.

It’s been a long road negotiating the licenses and working out all the details that are necessary for setting up a new brewing establishment. I can’t say enough about the excellent support we have received from Mike Arnold, the owner of Trafalgar and Dave Jameson, the brew master of Trafalgar. This is a true labour of love for all concerned. Soon we’ll all be able to taste the results!

In the coming weeks we’ll share a bit more about the brewery, and the challenges of recreating the historical brewing process.